Some teams have rally caps. Georgia baseball has Buc-ee’s Sour Power.
What has powered Georgia baseball to a Division I-leading 140 home runs and a 2-1 win at Auburn on Thursday night?
Sour candy from Buc-ee’s plays a larger role than you may have imagined.
“This is Sour Power, right here,” Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson told SEC Network in his postgame interview, as teammates Ty Peeples and Scott Newman draped Buc-ee’s candy belts (the rainbow-colored quattro flavor, to be exact) over Jackson’s headset, headband, microphone and jersey.
It’s become tradition for the high-powered Georgia offense, according to Jackson, whose home run in the fifth inning tied the game 1-1. Another home run by second baseman Ryan Wynn in the sixth inning gave No. 4 Georgia the lead, which held up as they claimed Game 1 of the series vs. No. 5 Auburn and with it a program-record 22nd SEC win.
“This started with one of our first Buc-ee’s trips,” Jackson said, with shortstop Kolby Branch stopping by to take a piece of candy off Jackson’s headset and eat it. “We got some of this Sour Power, and basically every time you score, you get some. It’s honestly, I think it’s one of the things that we do that I feel like brings us together and it’s kind of part of our offensive identity, is the Sour Power.”
And it sounds like the Bulldogs have a few bags to spare.
When asked if Newman is trying to get an NIL deal with Buc-ee’s, Jackson said: “I don’t know, he should though. I mean, he is the Sour Power king. This guy probably has seven bags tucked into his belt during the game. It’s what makes the offense go.”
(In the background, Branch feeds Peeples and Newman a candy belt).
Jackson, who on Thursday was named a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, leads the SEC in batting average (.385), slugging percentage (.829), RBI (75) and home runs (26).
He received praise for his focus during the interview despite his teammates piling candy on him and creating plenty of distractions.
“I’m pretty much staring into the soul of the camera right now, trying to not think about what’s going on,” Jackson said.
In the final two games of the regular season, the Bulldogs and their Buc-ee’s Sour Power candy belts face the Tigers at 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.
About the Author
Sarah Spencer, a Georgia native and UGA alum, serves as a general assignment and features writer for sports. She previously covered the Hawks from 2019-22.
